Improvement in griping devices for rope-tramways



T. H. DAY.

GRIPING DEVICES FOR ROPE-TRAMWAY'S.

No. 192,904, Patented July 10. 1877.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE;

THOMAS 'H. DAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

I M'PRQVE'M'EN'T I N" GR lP-l N G DEVICES FOR ROPEP'TRAMW A'YS.

Specification formingpart of Illetters Patent No. 192,904, dated July10, 1877 application filed June 8, @1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS HENRY DAY, of the city and county of banFrancisco and State of California, have invented an Improved GripingDevice for Rope-Tramways and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawmgs.

My invention relates to certain improvements in that class of apparatuswhich is employed to make or break connection between a moving car orvessel and a rope or cable by which it is propelled, and it is moreespecially applicable to that class of railways in which cars movingupon a track are impelled by means of an endless rope which travels in atube beneath the level of the rails.

My invention consists in a novel construction of a gripiug apparatus bywhich connection is made between the car and rope,and in so mountingthis gripiug apparatus that it can be reversed' in position, so that Iam enabled to switch a car from one track to the other at any point inthe line without the use of turn-tables, and without reversing orturning the car or dummy around.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view of the upper part of.my devices, howing a method of reversing it. Fig. 2 is a view of thegripe and means of operating it.

A and B are two gripingjaws having suitable lining blocks or plates 0,these plates receiving the actual contact and friction of the rope, andbeing made removable so as to be replaced'by others when worn out. Thejaws are placed one above the other, and are socured to broad bars D,which stand side by side, as shown, and are made thin enough to pass outthrough the narrow slot which must necessarily be made in the tube toeffect a communication between thecar and the rope which runs in thetube. My method of operating the jaws is novel, and it consists informing a rack, E, upon the side of each of the bars D at some pointabove the surface of the ground. These racks stand with their teethtoward each other, and a pinion, F, is mounted between them, so thatwhen this pinion is turned it will actuate the racks, and move thegripiug-jaws to or from each other, and either seize or release the intothe car, so as to be within easyreach of the operator, and a curvedrack, H, serves to hold the lever at any point.

A difficulty which has hitherto been experienced in the operation ofthese rope-railways has been the necessity of special apparatus, ateither end of the line, by which the car or dummy carrying the gripin gattachment must be turned around, or otherwise. operated, so as totransfer the gripiug device from the rope running in one direction tothe other part of the rope running in an opposite direction, so as tomake the return trip, and this has been of such a nature that the changecould only be made at the ends of the route.

In my present invention I obviate this difficulty by so mounting mygripiug apparatus that it may be reversed without turning the car atall. This is done by means of a turning table or post upon which all theapparatus directly connected with the gripe is mounted.

In the present case I have shown a turn table, I, which is suitablymounted upon the floor of the car, and the operating-bars D, with theirjaws A and B, pinion F, lever G, and rack H, are all connected with orattached to this turn-table. The griping'jaws A and B are nearly in aline with the operating bars or plates D, but must of necessity be uponone side of these bars. They are, therefore, so placed that the bars Dwill stand toward the inside or between the oppositely-moving ropes. Itwill then be seen that when, for any cause, it is necessary to transferthe car from an up to a down track, it will only be necessary, afterdropping the rope from the gripe, to rotate the turn-table so as toreverse the position of the clutch or gripe, when it can be switchedover to the return track, and the gripe will be in proper. position toseize the other rope. This not only allows the rope to be dropped at anypoint on the line, and the car to be transferred to the return track,but it places the operating-lever so that it is always moved in the samerelative direction to the motion of the car for the purpose of seizingor releasing the rope, instead of being moved in one direction when thecar is going down and another when it is going up.

It will be manifest from this construction track by simply reversing thegripe so that it would take either rope. Friction-pulleys J, at each endof the jaw A, support the rope to prevent friction on the jaw when theear is momentarily stopped and the gripe is released,

and a vertically-moving rod, K, which may have a friction-pulley uponits lower end, serves to prevent the rope from leaving the gripe untildesired, when this rod is simply drawn up high enough to be free of therope.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. The oppositely-moving jaws A B, secured to the bars D, said barsbeing provided with the toothed racks E E, in combination with thepinion F and lever G, substantially as and for the purpose hereindescribed.

2. A means for reversing the rope-griping device, the same consisting inmounting it upon a turn-table,'I, substantially as herein described.

3. The movable rod K, in combination with jaws A B, so arranged as tosecure the rope, and prevent its leaving the gripe, or release it,substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

THOMAS H. DAY. [L s]

